Afghan Biographies

Azizi, Mirwais Dr.

Name

Azizi, Mirwais Dr.

Ethnic backgr.

Pashtun

Date of birth

Function/Grade

Afghan Business Tycoon

History and Biodata

3.Biodata: Dr. Mirwais Azizi Hotak was born in Laghman province. He graduated from the National University Kabul in law. He left Afghanistan 1988 with Millions of cash for Dubai. He holds BS and MS degrees in Health Care Administration and a Doctorate in Educational Technology. He also has several premier IT certifications from Cisco and Microsoft. As President of Enatel Networks, Dr. Azizi sets business strategies and direction, in addition to managing the financial resources of the company. Dubai based Mirwais Azizi, regarded by many Afghans as their country's richest man.

Azizi Hotak General Trading group in UAE is group of Companies and owned by Azizi Bank Chairman and Promoter Mirwais Azizi who is citizen of Afghanistan. Azizi Hotak Group is main importer of LPG and refined petroleum products in Afghanistan and having biggest storage tanks and petrol pumps in Afghanistan Azizi handles as much as 70% of the petroleum products sold in Afghanistan, where electricity is mainly produced by diesel generators. From March 2004 Azizi started implementation the construction of 350 (three hundred fifty) Modern and State-of-Art Filling Stations all over Afghanistan.

Azizi invested for the construction of first LPG storage tanker in Afghanistan which capacity is 5000 metric tons and the location is in Hairaton near the border of Afghanistan with Uzbekistan. The second LPG storage is in Kabul. He also has a LPG transport department with LPG containers and LPG trucks. Azizi owns a Petroleum storage in Hairatan. The construction of a second Petroleum Storage in Kabul - 100 000 metric tons has been competed at the end of the year 2007.

Azizi will also construct Petroleum storages in other provinces of Afghanistan in future. At the beginning of the year 2008 Azizi was planning to start the construction of Refinery in Hairatan, Afghanistan, with monthly production 200/250 000 tonns. In Kazakhstan, Petropalovsk Azizi has a huge 100 000 tonns Petroleum Storage, Oil Pipe connected to Russian Pipe and Mill for the production and flour for the further export to Afghanistan.

Mirwais Azizi joined another Afghan tycoon, the hawala operator Haji Ali Akbar, in starting Azizi Bank, by buying an $8 million villa abutting the presidential palace that was the ministry of tribal affairs under the Taliban. Azizi Bank is the name of a commercial bank in Afghanistan, which has its main branch in Kabul. It also has branches in many provinces of the country. The bank opened in June, 2005 and is named after its chairman, Mirwais Azizi.

A villa adjacent to the Presidential Palace has been purchased and converted for the bank's use. The bank's accounts include the Qismat or "lucky" account, launched in August 2005, which pays no interest in accordance with Islamic law, but instead gives savers the chance of winning prizes such as cars and jewelry.

Bakhtar Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Azizi Bank, one of the largest bank in Afghanistan. Azizi Bank has been promoted by two leading businessmen - Mr. Mirwais Azizi (of the Azizi Hotak Group) and Haji Ali Akbar Zhawandai. Azizi Bank has established 41 branches all over Afghanistan. It has a workforce of more than 1.000 employees at present. Mirwais Azizi is the Chairman of the American University in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Mirwais Azizi, is an estranged business associate of Farnood (Kabul Bank) and the founder of the rival Azizi Bank in Kabul, has also poured money into Dubai real estate, with even more uncertain results. A Dubai company he heads, Azizi Investments, has invested heavily in plots of land on Palm Jebel Ali, a stalled property development. Azizi did not respond to interview requests. His son, Farhad, said Mirwais was busy.